Meant To Be
by Alani
Summary: What if Frieda met Zoe during her first stint in maximum security? Frieda was Carol's right-hand woman while Zoe was Barbara's. Are Frieda and Zoe meant to be together or will they become mortal enemies? A short story (WIP) of my We've Got Time series.
1. Prologue

**MEANT TO BE**

 **Summary** : What if Frieda met Zoe while she was in maximum security the first time around? Frieda was Carol's right-hand woman while Zoe was Barbara's. Are Frieda and Zoe meant to be together or will they become mortal enemies?

 **Author's Note** : Please read my **We've Got Time series part 1 and II** for the background story on (older) Frieda's relationship with Zoe McKenzie. This is a what-if short story and AU.

 **Disclaimer** : Frieda, Carol, Barbara and other Orange Is The New Black are the property of Jenji Kohan, etc. None belong to me except for the creation of original characters.

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 _ **Thirty Years Earlier  
Litchfield Maximum Security **_

Frieda Berlin followed Carol Denning outside to the yard for rec time. Other inmates from D block entered the yard and Frieda felt Carol bristle beside her as she saw her older sister Barb nearby.

" Who's that?" Frieda asked suddenly, noticing someone she hadn't seen before. The girl had walked up to Barb. The girl had shoulder-length brown hair and looked like she was around the same age as Carol-and a few years younger than Frieda.

" I don't know. I've never seen her before." Carol replied, " She must be new," she said, glancing over at Frieda. Carol raised her eyebrows. Frieda was staring at the new inmate with a dreamy look in her eye. She had never seen Frieda look at anyone like that in this prison before.

" Someone's got a crush," Carol said to Frieda in a soft sing-song voice.

" Huh?" Frieda glanced over at Carol.

" I've never seen you look at anyone the way you did just now," Carol glanced over at Zoe than back at Frieda, " I didn't even know you _liked_ girls Frieda."

" I don't," Frieda said, " I mean, I don't know what you're talking about." But she felt her face grow warm. She had thought Zoe was pretty and wanted to get to know her-but that was impossible considering they were from rival blocks. She didn't know she liked girls either and she still doesn't-just one girl and that girl was Zoe.

" Cortez!" Carol called out to Laura Cortez, who was one of her followers.

" What's up?" the tall girl with long dark hair asked walking up to them. She'd been an inmate of the prison for three years-she was a lifer like Frieda was.

" I need you to do something for me," Carol said, " I want you to find out who that new girl is from D block."

" The one who is standing next to your sister?"

" Yeah," Carol nodded.

" How am I supposed to do that? We're not supposed to talk to anyone from D block,"

" I'm sure you'll think of a way," Carol said as the inmates started going back inside. Carol and Frieda passed Barb and the new girl on the way in and Frieda saw the new girl watching her with interest. Frieda ignored her and followed Carol and the rest of the C block inmates back to their block.

* * *

" Barb", Zoe whispered to her friend as they entered their block. It was nearly dinner time and they waited in line for their food.

" What?" replied the older sister of Carol Denning.

" Who was that girl with the long dark braids standing next to Carol?"

" That's Frieda Berlin. She's a lifer-why?"

" Oh, just curious," Zoe paused, " She was watching me and she kind of gave me the creeps." Actually that wasn't true. She had noticed the girl watching her and she had thought Frieda was kind of pretty with her pale complexion and long dark hair in braids. She wanted to know everything about her and that's when she realised she was in love-in love with someone she didn't even know. How was that possible?

They got their food and sat down, " You said she was a lifer-what did she do?"

" Rumour has it she killed three people in one year," Barb told her, " And she also cut off her husband's penis,"

Zoe's eyes went wide with shock, " No way," she said. " She's married?" she felt disappointed. So Frieda was married. Guess I can forget about her then. She thought with a frown.


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

 **Author's Note: This takes place thirty years ago and a few months before Carol finds Frieda's hideaway. At this point in time Carol is still selling drugs and contraband in the showers.**

* * *

A few hours later, Laura Cortez found Carol and Frieda playing cards. " I got the info," she said to Carol a little breathlessly.

" How did you do it?" Frieda asked.

" I have my sources." The Puerto Rican said smugly, " Anyway, the new inmate is Zoe McKenzie. She's twenty-nine years old and she's doing hard time-ten years."

" what did she do?" Carol asked.

" She killed her sister's boyfriend," Laura informed them and Frieda raised her eyebrows.

" Apparently he was an abusive prick," Laura went on, " She walked in on them and he was beating her sister pretty badly, so she stabbed him to death."

" Wow, I didn't peg her to be a murderer," Carol mused. Frieda nodded in agreement. She hadn't either.

" That's all I got," Laura sat down beside Frieda.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Frieda headed for her little hideaway-a nook that in an area of the library that was never used. To her shock and surprise, she discovered she had a visitor.

" What are you doing here?" Frieda demanded, taking out a shiv from her shirt pocket. She walked up to the younger girl, put one hand on her shoulder and backed her up against the wall. She aimed the blade at her.

Zoe winced and stared down at the shiv. It was small but looked deadly.

" I asked you a question," Frieda said.

" I was sent a message-I was told to meet Barb here," the girl replied as Frieda pressed the blade against her throat.

" You're lying," Frieda said as she stared into Zoe's brown eyes. She hated to threaten Zoe like this but Zoe was from a rival block and she barely knew the girl. This could be a set up for all Frieda knew.

" It's the truth," Zoe gasped and reached into her shirt pocket, " Here." She held up a folded up piece of paper, " I found this under my pillow."

Frieda read the note and her eyes narrowed, " That's not Barb's handwriting, it's Carols." She told Zoe.

" It is?"

" You've been set up," Frieda pocketed the shiv, " I don't know why but-"

" I don't know what Carol would want with me," Zoe interjected, " I've only been here a few weeks."

The two girls just stared at each other silently for a minute. Then Frieda did something that surprised them both. She leaned forward and her lips claimed Zoe's possessively.

Zoe returned the kiss and Frieda pulled her in for a tight hug as the kiss grew deeper. Frieda kissed her jaw then her neck before her lips found Zoe's again.

Zoe pulled away first, " I can't do this," she said.

" Why?" Frieda asked as she pulled Zoe into her arms again.

" You're married,"

" I was married," Frieda told her. Then she bent her head and kissed her again.

The two girls sat on the floor against the air mattress Frieda had propped up against the wall. Frieda took Zoe's hand. " This is impossible," she said, " How can I love someone I only just met? I barely know you."

Zoe smiled at her, " It's called love at first sight," she told her then paused, " You…love me?"

Frieda nodded, " I loved you the moment I saw you," she confessed, " And I guess you're right, it was love at first sight."

Zoe squeezed her hand, " I love you too," she whispered as her lips found Frieda's once more. After a while, Frieda pulled away.

" But this can't happen," Frieda said, " We're from rival blocks."

" We shouldn't let some stupid rivalry that has nothing to do with us stop us from seeing each other," Zoe protested. A strand of brown hair fell in her face and Frieda reached over and tucked it behind Zoe's ear tenderly.

" I want us to keep seeing each other too-but it must be in secret."

" So we'll be like Romeo and Juliet," Zoe sighed.

" And you know what happens to them," Frieda reminded her, " But I think I have a way that we can stay together and the Dennings won't ever have to find out about us."

" How?"

" We get transferred to minimum security. It's a short bus ride down the hill and I hear it's like camp." Frieda said.

" How are we going to do that?"

" Just leave it to me. I'll think of something," Frieda assured her before her lips came down onto Zoe's for a long and searching kiss.


End file.
